My partner Richard N. Shapiro touched off a national aircraft safety news firestorm among airplane pilots like myself, with an article comparing deaths/fatalities suffered in Cirrus vs. Cessna planes (click here: Critic Raises Questions over Crash and Death Rates of Cirrus Aircraft In “Dead Pilots Don’t Lie”–Surprising Fatality Safety Analysis of Cirrus “Parachute” Planes vs. Cessna Small Planes).
The provocative article found that the Cirrus “parachute”plane has higher crashes/deaths/fatalities per hour flown in excess of the standard single engine Cessna over the ast ten years-despite the special safety features of the Cirrus.
The Injuryboard National news desk (Jane Akre/Lisa Brown) then wrote about the Cirrus safety issue and pilots for and against Cirrus have weighed in by writing comments.
I am a pilot, and handle airplane crash litigation myself. Pilots tend to believe a crash can never happen to them-a form of defensive attribution. So, when safety statistics show the Cirrus is associated with higher death rates than Cessna’s-for one example-it provokes major debate. If Shapiro’s article promotes a close look at Cirrus pilot training and helps prevent a future pilot’s death, it will be a positive thing.